Caper

for cello, electronics

Caper, which means “to leap or skip about in a sprightly manner,” is intended to sound carefree and buoyant, with a measure of child-like playfulness. The cello and electronics dialogue with each other as light-hearted dance partners, imitating and playing off the bouncing rhythmic gestures of each other. This is contrasted by the central section—set over a low, electronic pedal—which features the cello with a long, ascending melody that stridently reaches near the very top of the instrument’s range. A recap of the opening material is followed by the dialogue’s gradual fading away; the cello having the final say.